South Africa

931 total, 793 usable; 124 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 213 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

81 major transport aircraft

188,309 km total; 54,013 km paved, 134,296 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth

9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 275,684 GRT/273,973 DWT; includes 7 container, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker

931 km crude oil; 1,748 km refined products; 322 km natural gas

Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richard's Bay, Saldanha, Mosselbaai, Walvis Bay

20,638 km route distance total; 35,079 km of 1.067-meter gauge trackage (counts double and multiple tracking as single track); 314 km of 610 mm gauge

the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity in Africa; it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and radiocommunication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria; 4,500,000 telephones; stations--14 AM, 286 FM, 67 TV; 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical Services

5% of GDP, or $4 billion (1989 est.)

males 15-49, 9,544,357; 5,828,167 fit for military service; 419,815 reach military age (18) annually; obligation for service in Citizen Force or Commandos begins at 18; volunteers for service in permanent force must be 17; national service obligation is two years; figures include the so-called homelands not recognized by the US

accounts for 6% of GDP and 30% of labor force; diversified agriculture, with emphasis on livestock; products--cattle, poultry, sheep, wool, milk, beef, corn, wheat; sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; self-sufficient in food

NA

revenues $24.3 billion; expenditures $27.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY91)

rand (plural--rand); 1 rand (R) = 100 cents

34,941,000 kW capacity; 158,000 million kWh produced, 4,100 kWh per capita (1989)

rand (R) per US$1--2.5555 (January 1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986), 2.1911 (1985)

$21.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--gold 40%, minerals and metals 23%, food 6%, chemicals 3%; partners--FRG, Japan, UK, US, other EC, Hong Kong

$21.2 billion (1988 est.)

1 April-31 March

$83.5 billion, per capita $2,380; real growth rate 3.2% (1988)

$18.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities--machinery 27%, chemicals 11%, vehicles and aircraft 11%, textiles, scientific instruments, base metals; partners--US, FRG, Japan, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland

growth rate 5.6% (1988)

mining (world's largest producer of diamonds, gold, chrome), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs

14.67% (1989)

Many of the white one-seventh of the South African population enjoy incomes, material comforts, and health and educational standards equal to those of Western Europe. In contrast, most of the remaining population suffers from the poverty patterns of the Third World, including unemployment, lack of job skills, and barriers to movement into higher-paying fields. Inputs and outputs thus do not move smoothly into the most productive employments, and the effectiveness of the market is further lowered by international constraints on dealings with South Africa. The main strength of the economy lies in its rich mineral resources, which provide two-thirds of exports. Average growth of 2% in output in recent years falls far short of the level needed to cut into the high unemployment level.

22% (1988); blacks 25-30%, up to 50% in homelands (1988 est.)

mostly semiarid; subtropical along coast; sunny days, cool nights

2,881 km

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

200 meters or to depth of exploitation;

South Africa administered Namibia until independence was achieved on 21 March 1990; possible future claim to Walvis Bay by Namibia

lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures

200 nm;

4,973 km total; Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 1,078 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km

10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 65% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 1% irrigated

gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas

Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; completely surrounds Lesotho; almost completely surrounds Swaziland

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

12 nm

1,221,040 km2; land area: 1,221,040 km2; includes Walvis Bay, Marion Island, and Prince Edward Island

4 provinces; Cape, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal; there are 10 homelands not recognized by the US--4 independent (Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, Qwaqwa)

administrative, Pretoria; legislative, Cape Town; judicial, Bloemfontein

small Communist party illegal since 1950; party in exile maintains headquarters in London, Daniel Tloome (Chairman) and Joe Slovo (General Secretary) insurgent groups in exile--African National Congress (ANC), Oliver Tambo; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Zephania Mothopeng; internal antiapartheid groups--Pan-Africanist Movement (PAM), Clarence Makwetu; United Democratic Front (UDF), Albertina Sisulu and Archibald Gumede

3 September 1984

Ambassador Piet G. J. KOORNHOF; Chancery at 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-4400; there are South African Consulates General in Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, Houston, and New York; US--Ambassador William L. SWING; Embassy at Thibault House, 225 Pretorius Street, Pretoria; telephone [27] (12) 28-4266; there are US Consulates General in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg

state president, cabinet, Executive Council (cabinet) Ministers' Councils (from the three houses of Parliament)

actually four flags in one--three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side

31 May 1910 (from UK)

Supreme Court Chief of State and Head of Government--State President Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 13 September 1989) white political parties and leaders--National Party (NP), Frederik W. de Klerk (majority party); Conservative Party (CP), Dr. Andries P. Treurnicht (official opposition party); Herstigte National Party (HNP), Jaap Marais; Democratic Party (DP), Zach De Beer, Wynand Malan, and Denis Worrall; Colored political parties and leaders--Labor Party (LP), Allan Hendrickse (majority party); Democratic Reform Party (DRP), Carter Ebrahim; United Democratic Party (UDP), Jac Rabie; Freedom Party; Indian political parties and leaders--Solidarity, J. N. Reddy (majority party); National People's Party (NPP), Amichand Rajbansi; Merit People's Party

based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

tricameral Parliament consists of the House of Assembly (whites), House of Representatives (Coloreds), and House of Delegates (Indians)

Republic of South Africa; abbreviated RSA

CCC, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IHO, ILZSG, IMF, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, Southern African Customs Union, UN, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG (membership rights in IAEA, ICAO, ITU, WHO, WIPO, and WMO suspended or restricted)

Republic Day, 31 May (1910)

universal at age 18, but voting rights are racially based House of Assembly (whites)--last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results--NP 58%, CP 23%, DP 19%; seats--(178 total, 166 elected) NP 103, CP 41, DP 34; House of Representatives (Coloreds)--last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(85 total, 80 elected) LP 69, DRP 5, UDP 3, Freedom Party 1, independents 2; House of Delegates (Indians)--last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(45 total, 40 elected) Solidarity 16, NPP 9, Merit People's Party 3, United Party 2, Democratic Party 2, People's Party 1, National Federal Party 1, independents 6

republic

35 births/1,000 population (1990)

8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

73.8% black, 14.3% white, 9.1% Colored, 2.8% Indian

52 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

11,000,000 economically active; 34% services, 30% agriculture, 29% industry and commerce, 7% mining (1985)

Afrikaans, English (official); many vernacular languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, North and South Sotho, Tswana

61 years male, 67 years female (1990)

almost all white population literate; government estimates 50% of blacks literate

noun--South African(s); adjective--South African

NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)

about 17% of total labor force is unionized; African unions represent 15% of black labor force

39,549,941 (July 1990), growth rate 2.67%; includes the 10 so-called homelands, which are not recognized by the US four independent homelands--Bophuthatswana 2,352,296, growth rate 2.80%; Ciskei 1,025,873, growth rate 2.93%; Transkei 4,367,648, growth rate 4.19%; Venda 665,197, growth rate 3.86% six other homelands--Gazankulu 742,361, growth rate 3.99%; Kangwane 556,009, growth rate 3.64%; KwaNdebele 348,655, growth rate 3.35%; KwaZulu 5,349,247, growth rate 3.62%; Lebowa 2,704,641, growth rate 3.92%; Qwagwa 268,138, growth rate 3.59%

most whites and Coloreds and roughly 60% of blacks are Christian; roughly 60% of Indians are Hindu, 20% Muslim

4.5 children born/woman (1990)